18 November 2011

Once your
book is published there is the tendency to become obsessed with its sale. Particularly if you have self published your
book and you are able to check and recheck its progress on a daily basis. While the traditionally published author might
think this is great, it can actually drive you to distraction. It can also take your attention off your main
task which is to write another book. Not
only that. If your sales are not doing as
well as you expect, it can cause you a lot of angst.

If this is
happening to you, don’t despair. Being
an author is a long term commitment because books take a great deal of time and
effort to write before they are the best they can be, and publishable. In the same way, the sale of those books does
not happen overnight. Just think, your
book(s) will be one of thousands on offer whether it is on Amazon, Smashwords etc.,
or in a traditional bookshop.

You don’t
want to ignore your sales altogether, but you don’t want to slip into this
sales obsession either. So what can you
do about it? I can see a number of
things.

·If
you were anything like me, you were obsessed with writing your now published
book. So my advice is to get interested
in your new project. After all, your
readers are waiting for your next book!

·Now
that you are published, you will need to build up your reputation as an
author. There are a lots of ways you can
do this, and I’m sure you will find the one(s) that you are most comfortable
with. Some suggestions are creating a
Facebook Fan Page, joining the Goodreads Author Program, joining Twitter,
creating a blog. You might also consider
participating in forums, book signings, talking to groups, conducting Giveaways. The possibilities are many and varied.

·Communication
is the operative word and with social networking particularly, you have the
opportunity to meet so many wonderful people.
So enjoy yourself. Write another
book, publish it and watch your readership grow. But remember, it will not happen overnight.

Most
importantly, don’t lose sight of the one thing you love to do, and that is to
create wonderful stories for people to read.

10 November 2011

If you are
following this Tour you will have just come from Augusto Pinaudsite. After you leave here, you will be going on to Melissa Foster. But, before you
run off, remember that by commenting on this post you not only win a free eBook
of Murder At The Rocks, but also a
copy for a soldier of your choice or, alternatively, you can have a soldier
randomly chosen from the list of troops who have requested eBooks.

Please
remember to leave your email address with your comment so that you can receive
the Smashwords Code for Murder At The
Rocks.

If you'd like to donate money toward those Kindles for our soldiers, simply
use Paypal and ibcprograms@gmail.com as the address to send money to. Please
note on your payment that it's a Troops donation.

November 11 is Veterans Day,
in the United States of America, the day we honor military veterans for their
service and their sacrifice. In
Australia, it is known as Remembrance Day where at the eleventh hour there is a
minute’s silence. At the Australian War Memorial, in Canberra, a wreath is laid at the Tomb of the Unknown
Australian Soldier.

In Australia November 11 is
also known as Poppy Day. The red
remembrance poppy has become a familiar emblem of Remembrance Day because they bloomed
across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I.

The Roll of Honour dotted with red poppies

Whether it is called Veterans Day, Remembrance Day, or
Armistice Day, it is a day that we all stop to remember. As the wife and the sister of two Vietnam
veterans, I extend my good wishes and gratitude to all those serving in the
military and to their families for your sacrifice.

Blog Tour de Troops continues until 14 November so there is
a great opportunity for you to win quite a few eBooks for yourself and for the
soldiers. I’m so pleased you visited The
Perfect Plot. Please remember to leave a
comment along with your email address so that you can receive your eBook. Your next stop on the Tour isMelissa Foster site.

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About Me

Mystery writer and author of The Celtic Dagger, Murder At The Rocks,Once Upon A Lie, Lane's End, Deadly Investment, Poisoned Palette and The Fourth String, all part of the Fitzjohn Mystery Series.I live in Australia, am an avid reader, love the theatre, travelling, photography and delving into my family's genealogy.